THE FIRST JOURNEY 



very low indeed, but we had proved in the course of the 

 Discovery expedition that it is quite possible to travel 

 under these conditions. I therefore started on this 

 preliminary journey on August 12, taking with me 

 Professor David, who was to lead the Northern Party 

 towards the South Magnetic Pole, and Bertram Army- 

 tage, who was to take charge of the party that was to 

 make a journey into the mountains of the west later 

 in the year. The reader can imagine that it was not 

 with feelings of unalloyed pleasure that we turned our 

 backs on the warm, well-found hut and faced our little 

 journey out into the semi-darkness and intense cold, but 

 we did get a certain amount of satisfaction from the 

 thought that at last we were actually beginning the work 

 we had come south to undertake. 



We were equipped for a fortnight with provisions 

 and camp gear, packed on one sledge, and had three 

 gallons of petroleum in case we should decide to stay 

 out longer. A gallon of oil will last a party of three 

 men for about ten days under ordinary conditions, and 

 we could get more food at Hut Point if we required it. 

 We took three one-man sleeping-bags, believing that 

 they would be sufficiently warm in spite of the low 

 temperature. The larger bags, holding two or three 

 men, certainly give greater warmth, for the occupants 

 warm one another, but, on the other hand, one's rest is 

 very likely to be disturbed by the movements of a com- 

 panion. We were heavily clothed for this trip, because 

 the sun would not rise above the horizon until another 

 ten days had passed. 



Our comrades turned out to see us off, and the pony 

 Quan pulled the sledge with our camp gear over the sea 

 ice until we got close to the glacier south of Cape Barne, 

 about five miles from the winter quarters. Then he 

 was sent back, for the weather was growing thick, and, 



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